This lovely topiary took me around 30 minutes TOPS to make! True story, no lies. It's so easy Homeboy could make one. But then of course, during the process of making this topiary he would have managed to paint his feet, stick the flower stems up his nose and there would also be a major glue gun catastrophe.
You will need the following supplies:
Flowers (I have 7 in my topiary) - you can find silk flowers at most craft stores
- A clay pot
- Antique white colored craft paint
- Floral foam (you can find this in the floral section of a craft store)
- Ribbon
- Sheet Moss
- Floral tape (you can find this in the floral section of a craft store, also)
- Oh, and a glue gun
The first step to make this lovely topiary is to paint the entire outside (except for the bottom) of the clay pot with the antique white craft paint.
I had to paint the outside of my pot 2 times so that you could not see any of the pot show through.
The second step is to place the floral foam inside of the pot. You will most likely need to trim the corners and sides of the foam. You can easily do this with a butter knife. It doesn't need to be perfect - as long as it is close. Then smash the foam into the pot. The top of the foam will need to be even with the top of the pot.
Once the floral foam has been placed in the pot you will need to secure the flowers together with floral tape and trim the stems, if needed.
The key to working with floral tape is to stretch it as you wrap it around the stems.
Hold the end of the tape with your thumb, against the middle of the stems. With your other hand, begin to wrap the tape around the stems, being sure to stretch it a little, as you wrap. I only wrapped about a 2 inch section. When you are done wrapping, tear of the end of the tape and rub it securely on top of the wrapped section of tape.
Next, you will need to trim the stems of the flowers, if needed. The easiest way to do this, is with wire cutters. Usually, silk flowers will have a wire stuck in the middle of the stem.
My pot is 5 inches high, and my topiary stands 8 inches above the top of the pot. There is about 2 inches of the stems stuck in the foam. I actually did not need to trim the stems, which made this project that much easier!
Push the stems of the flowers into the foam.
After the flowers are placed into the foam, wrap the ribbon around the stems and then tie in knots in the front. Trim the ends of the ribbon, if needed.
The very last step is to squeeze some hot glue on top of the foam and then tear off small sections of the sheet moss and place firmly on the glue.
Then this is usually the place when I end up with a glob a hot glue on my fingers, I scream in pain, say a cuss word, quickly run my fingers under cold water, peel off the glue glob, and then suck my thumb. Old habit, from my earlier years.
And there you have it. People, will admire your mad crafting skills, and may even ask where you purchased your lovely flower topiary. Which is the best compliment, one can get!
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